A DEMYSTIFYING TEXT ON DEVI

Bibek Debroy’s book, ‘Devi for Millennials’, is a primer, targeted particularly towards young readers, providing simple translations and interpretations of Sanskrit texts around the deity.

Navaratri’ simply means ‘nine nights’. Sometimes, people use the term ‘Navaratra’. But since the word ratri (jkf=) is feminine in Sanskrit, I prefer Navaratri.

A lunar fortnight is known as paksha and auspicious days are reckoned in accordance with the lunar day, tithi, which does not necessarily correspond to a solar day. When the moon waxes and increases every day, it is the bright lunar fortnight, known as shukla paksha. This ends in purnimaa or pournamasi, the night of the full moon. After that, when the moon wanes and diminishes every day, it is the dark lunar fortnight, known as krishna paksha, culminating in amavasyaa, the night of the new moon. Therefore, every month, there is a shukla paksha and a krishna paksha. In general, shukla paksha is propitious for worshipping devas and the krishna paksha for ancestors.

The nine nights of Navaratri are spread across the first lunar tithi to the ninth—pratipada, dvitiya, tritiya, chaturthi, panchami, shashthi, saptami, ashtami and navami. Often, the festivities end on dashami, the tenth lunar day. There is also a Navaratri every month, but out of those 12 Navaratris, four are special. These are Ashada Navaratri (in June/July), Sharada or Ashvina Navaratri (in September/ October), Magha Navaratri (in January/February) and Vasanta or Chaitra Navaratri (in March/April).